Research
-
2026 Chancellor Faculty Fellows Selected
Eleven of Vanderbilt University’s most promising recently tenured faculty have been awarded spots in the 2026 Chancellor Faculty Fellows program. This year’s recipients demonstrate exceptional and innovative scholarly achievement. “These scholars represent the next generation of academic leaders, advancing the bold ideas and transformative research that are strengthening Vanderbilt’s… Read MoreJun 24, 2026
-
Gianni Castiglione named Pew Biomedical Scholar
The eyes of some bats may help Vanderbilt researcher Gianni Castiglione develop new ways to protect human sight. Castiglione, assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Science and assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences in the School of Medicine, has been named a Pew Biomedical Scholar. The award provides support to advance research that draws on evolutionary adaptations in animals to develop potential therapies for human disease. Read MoreJun 18, 2026
-
Chezare A. Warren: Rewriting the Deficit Narrative in Education
As a middle school math teacher on Chicago’s South Side, Chezare A. Warren, now associate professor of leadership, policy and organizations at Peabody College and principal investigator of The Possibilities Project, noticed something interesting. Read MoreJun 17, 2026
-
Peabody partnership brings engineering to life for students with dyslexia
In Vanderbilt’s Magnolia Makerspace on a breezy April morning, the school year was winding down for Roberts Academy for Dyslexia fourth and fifth graders. It was a time of year when young learners might be daydreaming about summer vacations and pool days. But that Tuesday, all attention was on… Read MoreJun 17, 2026
-
Quantum Potential Podcast BONUS EPISODE: Language and its political and social power with associate professor of English Akshya Saxena
We all love to talk. But is language just a tool we use to communicate—or is it something more powerful? How does it impact democracy, identity and access? In this episode of the Quantum Potential podcast, Akshya Saxena, associate professor of English at Vanderbilt, and Provost C. Cybele Raver dig into the fascinating and layered history—and future—of language. Read MoreJun 10, 2026
-
Martin Egli’s Kairos Lecture focused on RNA’s physical characteristics and how they influence its biological roles and disease
Martin Egli, the Richard N. Armstrong, Ph.D. Professor of Innovation in Biochemistry and a professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, delivered a Kairos Lecture on May 28. Egli’s work, which has resulted in over 300 publications and two influential nucleic acid textbooks, has advanced strategies to stabilize RNA for therapeutic applications, including siRNA. He has received major honors and extensively served his department and the university. Read MoreJun 10, 2026
-
Limited Submission Opportunity: 2027 Sloan Research Fellowships
Vanderbilt University may nominate up to three tenure-track faculty per department for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's 2027 Sloan Research Fellowships. Read MoreJun 10, 2026
-
Limited Submission Opportunity: 2027 Searle Scholars Program
Vanderbilt University may nominate two candidates for the 2027 Searle Scholars Program, which supports the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Read MoreJun 10, 2026
-
-
Innovation ambassadors help research reach the real world
Vanderbilt’s Innovation Ambassadors program provides faculty across Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center with peer guidance on innovation, intellectual property and commercialization. Through the Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, faculty ambassadors help researchers explore how discoveries can move beyond the lab and into real-world application. Read MoreJun 3, 2026
-
Vanderbilt consortium receives award to use AI-enhanced technology to target motor neuron diseases
Vanderbilt NeuroCline, a consortium of researchers from Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt University, has received a prestigious award to explore using artificial intelligence to find new drug targets for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neuron disease. Read MoreMay 28, 2026
-
Research investigation shows ‘bossware’ is spying on workers and sharing their data
A new investigation finds that workplace monitoring platforms are systematically sharing personal data about workers and online activity with hundreds of outside data brokers and big tech companies in ways that are not clearly disclosed and that, in some cases, may contradict the platforms’ own privacy policies. Read MoreMay 28, 2026
-
Vanderbilt researchers develop comprehensive guide for how the brain’s wiring changes with age
In a groundbreaking study published recently in the journal Nature, researchers at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Health have created the first growth charts for white matter in the brain over a human lifetime. The work brings together nearly two decades of Vanderbilt research collaborations, the university’s extensive MRI data collections, and an advanced AI-enabled computing platform. Read MoreMay 27, 2026
-
Center for Structural Biology and Center for AI in Protein Dynamics symposium discusses the joining of structural biology and AI
The Vanderbilt University Center for Structural Biology and Center for AI in Protein Dynamics recently hosted a symposium called “Bridging Atoms and Algorithms: A Symposium on AI and Structural Biology.” The March event brought together Vanderbilt faculty, trainees, and invited speakers to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and structural biology, share research, and foster new scientific collaborations. Read MoreMay 27, 2026
-
Bridging Campus and Community symposium honors three collaborative projects
On an April morning, more than 100 Vanderbilt students, faculty, staff and community partners gathered around poster displays that told stories of collaboration, creativity and shared purpose. The inaugural “Bridging Campus and Community: Community Engagement Symposium,” held April 23, invited attendees to explore 32 presentations showcasing how Vanderbilt and community organizations are working together to address real-world challenges. The poster-style event celebrated partnerships spanning service-learning, research and creative work. Read MoreMay 20, 2026
-
Brandt Eichman first Vanderbilt faculty member awarded prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowship
William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair and Professor of Biological Sciences Brandt Eichman is the first Vanderbilt faculty member to be awarded the prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowship. Jointly funded by the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation, the fellowship invites outstanding international researchers to a U.K. university or research institution to foster collaborative connections and enrich global scientific research. Read MoreMay 20, 2026
-
W.T. Grant Foundation award aims to close autism services gap for Latino families
By Jennifer Kiilerich Imagine applying to a support service that turns down 66 percent of first-time applicants. Then imagine navigating that—a process which can involve multiple attempts, forms, taking time off work for meetings, and more—in English when it may not be your first language. That experience is the reality… Read MoreMay 20, 2026
-
Vanderbilt Poll: Tennesseans continue to express anxiety about the economy
In a time marked by partisan divides and international conflicts, a new Vanderbilt University poll finds personal economic stress looms largest for Tennesseans. Anxiety over the cost of groceries, housing and monthly bills spans political parties and income levels. Deepening malaise about the cost of living is reflected by more than half of Tennesseans saying the country is headed in the wrong direction. Read MoreMay 20, 2026
-
Vanderbilt scholar awarded Fulbright to study parent-child reading intervention in Chile
By Jennifer Kiilerich Tatiana Peredo Tatiana Peredo, research assistant professor of special education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Chile for the 2026–27 academic year. It is Peredo’s second time receiving the renowned federal award,… Read MoreMay 18, 2026
-
Vanderbilt researchers awarded grants to address key challenges in future space missions
Two research groups connected with the Vanderbilt School of Engineering have been awarded multimillion-dollar grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA to work on solving some of the toughest problems in space exploration: protecting electronics from radiation and stabilizing energy generation and delivery systems. These issues are mission-critical as NASA plans missions to the moon and Mars. Read MoreMay 15, 2026